Meal Planning and Freezing

I love to cook.  I always have.  I don't enjoy making things that have to look a certain way (like fancy cakes, etc), but I do love making meals and treats and watching people enjoy them.  David often tells me that one of the main reasons he married me so quickly was so that he could eat my food.

Yeah, and love and stuff.  But mostly food.

Since Mac came around, cooking on a daily basis has gotten significantly more difficult.  I pick him up at the sitter's at 4:15, chat for a while and get home about 4:30.  He nurses for a bit and then eats his solids about 5ish.  He's done by 5:30 (because, for reals, Mac loves his solids!).  David gets home around 6 and I go to the basement to work out...then we try to eat before Mac gets a bath between 7 and 7:30.

So, really, I haven't figured out when cooking fits in there.  I like my schedule, but there's not a lot of free time.

Then, I noticed that my friend Martha pinned something about freezer meals on Pinterest.  (BTDubs--I LOVE Pinterest.  It's amazing.  I love love love love it).  A few of my girls got together and exchanged freezer meals.  David and I have been eating on them and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  It's bordering on obsession...because I checked some freezer meal books out of the library and have been doubling pretty much everything I cook on my own and freezing at least half for future meals.

For instance, here's our meal plan for the coming week.  David and I email on Fridays to figure out when we'll be home and what we're in the mood for.

Sunday: Tuscan Ziti Bake (I will make A LOT and freeze multiple meals for the future), Bread, and Salad
Monday: Beef Stir Fry  (I will prep meat on Sunday and use frozen veggies)
Tuesday: Turkey Meatballs (already made in freezer), Bread, Sweet Potatoes
Wednesday: Out
Thursday: Freezer Meal--Probably Turkey/Spinach Enchiladas
Friday or Saturday: Buffalo Chicken Chili (Again, I will make a huge amount)

So, really, I'm only cooking twice this week but we're eating homemade meals 5 times (plus leftovers at lunch) and I'm going to put 4-6 meals in the freezer for future use.  AND my kitchen stays clean.

Win. Win. Win.